How to promote your book like an intelligent human being and not an SEO Dweeb

Thanks for posting this, I've been doing most of it but there were a few things that I never considered (like setting up an author account on amazon).

Me neither. What exactly is an author account on Amazon?

Great post. Sometimes it is overwhelming and it is nice to have a post like this that gathers a lot of what we as authors might have questions about.

Thankfully I seem to be following the Dos and Do Nots already out of common sense.

Great post. I really need to get off my ass and submit to more review blogs and the like. Is there a good place to ask about promoting at conventions like the SoCal Writers Conference and Comic-Con?

This is a great post, and I do "get" it. The line between promotion and excessive self-promotion is quite fine.

Of course, we want to let our friends and family know about our work, and many of them would be insulted if we didn't. Some of them will even share our news and pass it on to others. On the other hand, they certainly do not want to see their whole Facebook wall filled up with our spam every time they log in. That is probably a good way to get "unfriended" a lot.

Again, this is a great reminder. In the end, our friends and family will be a good place to start, but they are not our target market. At least mine isn't.

Great stuff here! And not just the original post...

I'm running a free promo until Tuesday for my first book. I'm creeping up on 200 giveaways now. I've plugged on my Facebook, twitter, a couple of forums, my tumblr and my blogspot. I don't have a very big following, at least not one that I'm aware of, so this is somewhat surprising to me!

I'm intending to post reminders on my tumblr, twitter and facebook each day until the promotion ends, and I'm heading down to a horror convention in Sacramento tomorrow to do some face time with a cold audience. What are some other venues I can use? Or should I just sit pretty and let things run their course?

Friend name authors on facebook and observe how they interact with their audience. This for me was the best learning curve. As mentioned above authors don't use social media to sell their books. They let their friends know what it is they are thinking about. I don't have a website but I do have a blog that has had almost 10k hits. I use it to review authors and books. Link the blog to facebook. Works really well.

I should clarify, I have a facebook page for the book series/author stuff, and my personal facebook. Should I perhaps tone down the amount of promo I try to do via the author page?

Good post. You know, rough rule of thumb for most types of marketing: don't ask for something, offer something. Goes triple for approaching people who can promote your work. Unless you genuinely believe your work is a good fit for that blog / reviewer etc, just don't do it. Don't create the sort of email and SN slush you wouldn't want to recieve.

In short, the Internet is already a fucking mess. Don't make it worse.

Very good advice

Thanks.

I did a book trailer for my upcoming e-book. Made it myself through movie maker. Not sure if I should do a 2nd one, much shorter.

thanks for this! Although I'm on GoodReads, I have a...not difficulty just I've not messed around with it much. I love me LinkedIn and tumblr (though I don't tumble as often as I should, it's primarely there to repost what I post on my blog. I really should be more proactive on it.)

Thanks for the advice on Facebook, I guess that's my biggest challenge. I was just talking tonight with my SO about getting more hits on Facebook and how it's all about engaging with and devolping a realtonship with people/potential readers/buyers/(in my case)producers. It's an area I really struggle with. I don't have a great following (right around a 100 atm) but I can't seem to get them to engage. They'll "like" a post now and again or share a status but I can't seem to get much interaction on my page.

I really need the advice here! I'm very enthusiastic about my book and trying not to go overboard. I'm published through a small press, so I'm trying to do a lot of marketing myself! I have a blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and probably other stuff I forget, but mostly I'm on Facebook. I have a separate writer page, but not a book page, and sometimes I do post author stuff on my normal page but try not to overwhelm people!

A fairly large publication who has published 3 op-ed pieces I wrote is supposed to be publishing a review of my book, but I don't know when. They are a weekly publication and I realized that if the review was printed this week, it would be on the day my book was free through my publisher. So I emailed them to let them know, even though I also knew it was the deadline day for submissions, and they let me know that it was already too late. I was disappointed because I thought it would result in major exposure if the review was released on free e-book day, so I posted the e-book free info on the publications Facebook page. They commented that for press releases I should send it to a certain email address, and I think my post has now been deleted. :-(

So now I think I might have gone overboard and maybe they won't publish the review at all!

Some good advice here Joining specific groups on Goodreads is really helpful. I joined Goodreads, but I didn't really know how to find my way there. Some groups mentioned on the first page will do

Great information. I wish I had this before I made some of those blunders you've mentioned! I'm catching up on the "I'm assuming that" assignments. Thanks so much for posting this.

Medi,you awesome soul!

*drops curtsy and tosses confetti at you*

I'm new at this,but I've already assembled lists of book reviewers from Essence, Ebony ,Sister2Sister and a few online sites to contact to review my YA book when it comes out. I know my target audience and I am going after them with a vengeance.

I have found that, for the relatively unknown and indie writer, this is an endless uphill battle almost never likely to end in grand success. I don't want to be defeatist because one never knows, but I think the journey is what one desires as opposed to some idea of Oz.
I don't know if this is smart or cheesy, but what I have been doing to promote my own work and name is promote the work of others. I have been writing reviews of novels I have come across on smashwords and the like, thereby providing something searchable for that writer while having my name attached to that writer's work, even if just within that one clickable link. Further, this exposes me to this writer, who just might check me out and pass me on.
I have only done this with a few books (this can be time consuming) but I have made nice contact with some good people, and I have read some interesting work.
Hey, read as much as you write, remember?
Also, because I write several online articles, those finding these are also apt to find my name, and if they're desiring, can look into my profile and see more there. I recently wrote something about the recent asteroid passing by and caught nearly 2,000 page views in days. Now, might these readers dig in to see who wrote it? It's hard to say, but the 411 is there, should they desire.
In short, spreading out in numerous directions rather than just constantly plugging something exactly like a zillion other identical things seems helpful.
Also, making contact with other struggling writers helps, particularly when acknowledging their work as opposed to thinking you'll somehow coax them into acknowledging yours.
Honestly, nobody gives a shit until the moment comes when suddenly someone does, like some random discovery.
Don't hold your breath and truly enjoy the journey. Place hope on the notion that you'll be discovered after you die.

I've had a good experience with webs.com so far. It is easy to use, I think they offer a free website option, but even the paid options are a pretty good deal. It is especially easy to use for those who are not super-computer savvy.

What about paying for reviews?

I appreciate your advice and wonder what you think of paying Kirkus or PW for a review of the children's book I'm planning to self-publish. My former publisher paid to have my previous books reviewed. Is this worth the money?

V W Pilegard said:

I appreciate your advice and wonder what you think of paying Kirkus or PW for a review of the children's book I'm planning to self-publish. My former publisher paid to have my previous books reviewed. Is this worth the money?

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Howdy, welcome. I imagine there's a thread on this somewhere, but they can be tough to find. I won't speak for everyone but my view is that a paid-for review is a waste of money. As a reader, I wouldn't put any stock whatsoever in a review done by someone who got paid to do it. There's just too much of a conflict of interest. It might even negatively impact my view of a book, frankly.

Again, welcome and best of luck!